ever since, I haven't done anything to really treat my symptoms rather than avoid them but I have actually found out some new stuff that might help others as well.

It's really amazing that Jake (a new member, welcome by the way!) has already mentioned one of the things that I wanted to write. But here they go: if you want to avoid wet dreams...

-Think of whatever you might subconsciously find attractive and achieve erection multiple times after losing it until you think it's enough and you're tired of doing so. This helps clear your mind and when you sleep your subconscious won't be thinking about your fantasies. Or even worse, mind sometimes makes up stupid fantasies to end the mental frustration.

NOTE: Be very careful not to masturbate instead of just getting an erection, it's very important.

-DON'T wear any underwear that touches your penis during sleep. It might seem silly but if anything touches it, especially during the days when semen has built up, it's three times as likely to get a wet dream.

-Empty bladder, drink a sip or two of water (As also mentioned by Jake)

-Go to sleep

Works very well, especially with me that I orgasm every 7 days no matter what I do. This time I managed to avoid orgasm by a further 3 days using this method (and counting).I only noticed a bit of frustration after doing this, I desperately want to have an orgasm but I'm hanging on.

Also, I have made another self-discovery that might be a breakthrough by itself (at least it was for me).

I used to think POIS is because of mental or physical anxiety. Or the body needs more sleep in POIS sufferrers because the body needs to repair itself. How wrong I was.

I mentioned I play Soccer before and we had a 3 hour training the day that happened to be one I had orgasmed in a wet dream.

As always, I desperately searched for something to somehow fix this. It's a torture to compete in a sport while on POIS.

Then I remembered, the training was going to start later than usual... I had 3 extra hours to myself.

I already had 7 hours of sleep but as the case is with my POIS days (my symptoms last less than 24 hours and then go away), I was sleepy. I knew if this wasn't a POIS day I would be kicking around having fun.

So I decided to sleep for another 2 hours. I did and when I woke up I felt better, but I was feeling really cold.I still had more time so I ate a small snack, put on my clothes and went back to bed a few minutes later.I just wanted to lie there to relax (as I do in non-POIS days) but I immediately fell asleep and next thing I know I'm woken up by my alarm clock an hour later.

I woke up, not sleepy anymore, I felt great! I said wow, so sleep was the cure for POIS? I'm 100% cured.WRONG. I wasn't. When I woke up, I was. But every second after waking up my symptoms came back with a faster speed.Think of parasites being dead inside your body when you're sleeping but once you wake up they wake up too. It felt exactly like that.I ended up having slept 10 hours and even with more fatigue during the training.

It seems sleeping does something that cures POIS, but as long as you're sleeping.I believe this is very important. To know what sleeping suppresses and heals.I will certainly direct my research on that one. and avoiding wet dreams for now, of course.

While I'm at it, I searched for what happens during sleep that heals the body.

The most striking thing I found during my brief research was this line: "sleep is when the body converts adneosine back into ATP. If that is correct, then no amount of carbing up would help, because the energy in the carbs you eat would not be converted to a usable form.Also, sleep is the only time the body produces seratonin, without which the brain shorts out."

That explains the fact that I want to eat more during POIS but I stay fatigued and brain fogged.Legs and arms very tired. Mind can't think. No Adenosine conversion, perhaps.

bastianb, what I found helpful was not only the amount of sleep you get but when you get it. Two years ago I had all of my college classes in the afternoon and I would sleep from 3am until around 12 or 1 ish, I could sleep as long as I wanted but never would really feel better. Than I switched my schedule to go to sleep by 10 pm at night and wake up at a normal hour, this made me feel significantly better... although it is about 12 am right now I try to stick to that schedule.

Also, I can say that I joined the Niacin bandwagon. This stuff definitely makes me feel a lot better. I took it and after 3 "O's" I can say I probably did not have any POIS symptoms besides a normal reaction to sex. My POIS seems to be slowly going away. 3 years ago it was more than 10x as worse.

Hey folks. Actually, I've been following this forum for about..hmm.. months now I believe. My story isn't quite different from most of yours I'm sure. I hope you get a kick out of it though. When I was younger, before puberty that is, I was definitely a bright kid, pretty far ahead of his peers, up until the point where I started to change, just as everyone else does. I became involved in somewhat frequent self pleasure, which I never really observed as dysfunctional. Well, it became almost a daily routine, which consumed the entirety of middle school, literally taking no breaks longer than a day or two. Well, one day, I took a 5 day break from this activity. Surely to my surprise, I began to feel extremely well, like I had never felt before. What was this exactly? Well.. after returning to my usual activities, I began to notice some correlation to how well I was feeling, and when I was doing these things. For years.. and I mean years, I never knew what was wrong with me. Searching medical column after medical column. I eventually found an article involving POIS, this strange disease I'd never heard of. To my surprise, I actually wasn't the only one feeling this way. I was 15 then, I'm now 17, and I've come a long long way since then. I definitely have recovered and learned to deal with this, through the use of Claritin D, which has helped significantly, and abstinence(In most cases hah). Three huge things I've found, which I really feel I should share seem to be these.

1. Claritin D helps Sinus problems, which I've ruled to definitely be the source of most of my cognitive issues. I have normal allergies, aside from that of POIS, and I have literally the exact same symptoms as those in POIS. I have done countless tests to examine this. I can guarantee that you all might feel much much better taking this, as I can hardly survive now, when I don't take it. I can't believe how awful I used to feel.

2. Something I've found recently to avoid NEs, is to first, make sure I absolutely do not need to go to the bathroom, after which I drink an entire bottle of water just before I go to sleep. I figured maybe if my body is trying to hold in something like that, it couldn't possibly let an NE happen. Call me crazy, but this seemed to work for me. I've been doing this since. However, I've also found that if I sleep strictly 7 hours, I can better avoid an NE by avoiding most dreaming.

3. The last thing I've found, is that Excedrin Migraine actually seems to help a lot as well. I'm pretty sure it's the Caffience, which is dissolved directly in the blood stream, as well as the anti-inflammatory, which helps reduce swelling in my sinuses. I feel that pois symptoms might be caused by what's called Sinusitis, or allergic rhinitis. If you'll look at the symptoms, they seem to include irritability, as well as memory problems, and obviously the well-known swelling most of us seem to be feeling. I've been looking into these things recently, and will most likely start visiting a nose and throat doctor to perhaps resolve the sinus issues.

I really hope this helps you folks. Sorry for the really long post, but I've been reading this forum for quite a while now, and I've decided to finally write. And well, I guess I have a lot to say, if it can possibly help anyone else. Oh, by the way, my name is Jake, if you'd like to call me by that. I'll try to share discoveries as they come if you'd all like. Anyway, thanks for hearing my bit.

Goodness.. I almost forgot. I've found something that seems to help a bit with the mental problems. If you take a deep inhale, and I do mean deep, hold it in for a few moments and stretch the shoulder muscles, and back muscles, it's supposed to help blood flow to the head, which seems to help my sinuses a bit too. This seem to be the bulk of my troubles.

Hi jake, could you please let us know, by using your 'drink water before sleep' method, how long have you managed to prevent a wet dream from happening?

... I try to think about how unproductive and utterly useless I'll be for at least a week after the O. But it's more than that tbh. Whatever is going on, it feels like both fatigue and a memory wipe.... There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that the physiological happenings post orgasm damage my ability to think, concentrate and remember....

So POIS negatively affects my mood, which impacts all areas of my brain and makes me think less clearly. But when I think about the effect POIS has on my cognitive function, it is actually quite specific. On the whole, my test taking abilities are still OK. So I can still think. Yet I can't find words when I'm ready to talk. I get tongue-tied, I can't remember many facts, when i try to add or subtract too many numbers in my head I'll always lose track, and also I can't process information quickly, so if someone asks me what day of the week it is my response is never automatic but will rather take a couple seconds.

My experience is that _anything_ that requires a) significant working memory such as mental calculations or mathematical operations b) recollection of a fact or concept is impaired. It's as if there's enough neurotransmitters to be able to function in a quite average or mediocre way but not enough for fast recall and comprehension. So for example, during my POIS periods I cannot remember facts that I'm hearing or deal with relatively simple things like "odd one out" quizzes where people are speaking quickly and it requires fast comprehension. It's a far cry from working out complex engineering problems in my head which I did for fun during my college days.

I wondered whether this was caused by nerve death due to physical trauma (increased blood pressure or reduced oxygen deliver to CNS tissue) but during a celibate period and with a decent helping of B-vitamins (particularly b6 and b3 well over RDA) I seem to get better, think more clearly and learn more easily. My old facility with stats, equations and intuitive leaps returns (mostly). This is just guesswork but I believe that if this was caused by nerve death (hypoxic or otherwise) then I would never experience days of clarity and I'd be unable to perform intellectually. The success I enjoyed in college was based on a near celibate existence. I'm a very strong willed individual but enough is enough. I'm in my 30s now and for my life to progress I need a cure or treatment for this thing, same as the rest of you.

My experience is that _anything_ that requires a) significant working memory such as mental calculations or mathematical operations b) recollection of a fact or concept is impaired.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. Quick story: I live in SF now and moved here from Dallas. So last Wednesday a manager of mine asked me what my plans are for thanksgiving. I told him that besides the normal festivities, I was looking fwd to watching the Cowboys game as I don't get many of their games in SF. So I walk into work this morning, and he asks me how the Cowboy game was - a game in which I watched all 3 hours - and I said good. Then he asked me who won. I couldn't remember! I had to say I couldn't remember, and then it took me sitting at my desk thinking about it for 30 seconds to remember. I mean, that's even a low for me, but it's not the first time. Every once in a while I'll watch half a game and the next day not be able to even quickly recall both teams I watched play. There's no way that's normal, unless you're a heavy drug user perhaps. It's just a tough way to live your life.

Greetings! I'm very pleased to find this forum. When i found Dr Waldinger's website after seeing a newspaper article i was very relieved to find out i wasnt alone. I believe I have had POIS for at least 20 years, I am 48 now. The worst symptoms post-orgasm last for about 36 hours, sometimes going for up to a week but slowly getting better over the days. These symptoms include extreme lethargy,a feeling of hopelessness, irritability, brain fog, muscle weakness and a sort of "warmth" throughout my body. It's not unlike an alcohol hangover. I also have allergies to dairy, gluten, animal fur/danders, tree pollen and various other things, not surprisingly it is sometimes difficult to identify what is causing partiuclar symptoms. The POIS is very distinctive and unmistakeable however.

I have found things which definitely help are1) Zinc supplements, this noticeably quickens the recovery process.2) Swimming in cool/cold water the day after orgasm, this can make me feel 50% better at times3) I've also noticed that sometimes if I feel particularly 'given to' in the sexual process i get NO negative symptoms - I can't explain this one!

I tend to avoid orgasms if i need to concentrate on something important the next day and i would really like to be without this. I'm writing this now as I have particularly severe symptoms today. I have been in bed for 13 hours and luckily i dont work until the afternoon.

Our new POIS Forum - architectural genius: "daveman" - for detailed subject-by-subject discussion! http://www.POISCenter.com/forums/index.phpOur 4-year-old POIS thread here at Naked Science Forum will also always remain open for newcomers, for general unstructured discussion, and historical research of the 10,000+ postings here since 2007.

The Learning Channel's (TLC) feature TV presentation on POIS, featuring our member here at this forum, "Animus". It was aired on May 22, 2011. Here is a link to the YouTube file for the POIS TV documentary, "Desperate Measures":

How to get any or all of the above 5 studies: send me or "daveman" a Private Message (PM) with your regular email address (use "AT" instead of "@" ) and we'll send you back the PDF(s).

To send a Private Message, click on "Messages" at the top of this page. At the Messages page, click on "New Message". From that point on, it works just like posting a message here, except that it only goes to the person(s) you designate.

Remember to put a quote around the recipient's name, i.e., "demografx", or "daveman".

In addition to serving our own informational interests, the resources listed above can be useful for you to show our credibility to the medical world - which often shows little understanding and is sometimes skeptical of our condition: POIS has scientific underpinnings and POIS is not "just another psychological problem" related to sex - to be treated by the psychiatric/psychotherapeutic community. All of this information can greatly help you to fight the immediate reaction of some doctors: so just tell them, "IT'S NOT 'ALL IN OUR HEADS'! "

It can be very helpful to you when dealing with medical professionals to point out the POIS' official listing, as recognized by the National Institutes for Health (NIH), Office of Rare Diseases Research:http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/RareDiseaseList.aspx?StartsWith=P, then scroll down until you reach Postorgasmic illness syndrome.

For over 4 years, our POIS forum has attracted over 200 POIS sufferers worldwide who have posted here, research on an additional 200 sufferers elsewhere on the internet, plus nearly 1,500,000 page visits. Not bad for a rare malady!

SEARCH THE FORUM WITH GOOGLE

We have an overwhelming amount of data: more than 4 years' worth of posts (over 10,000 posts!) from 200+ Forum members, and an additional 200 POIS sufferers found elsewhere on the Internet by Member B_Jim.

In the Google search box, typewhatever-it-is-you're-interested-in-finding-out[space]POIS[space]site:http://thenakedscientists.com/

Research has shown that histamine is released as part of the human orgasm from mast cells in the genitals. If this response is lacking this may be a sign of histapenia (histamine deficiency). In such cases, a doctor may prescribe diet supplements with folic acid and niacin (which used in conjunction can increase blood histamine levels and histamine release), or L-histidine. Conversely, men with high blood histamine levels may suffer from premature ejaculations

So had one of those "O" things after almost 3 weeks :( and noticed something. I felt crap this morning. Brain not functioning, inability to remember facts etc. Took 100mg of niacin (as I've been doing) and noticed no flush after a few hours. Another 100mg and no flush. Another 50mg 3 hours after that and the flush started. Post flush, I could think more clearly. This suggests that I was undergoing some kind of b3 depletion (and/or related b vitamins as described in the theory at http://www.poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=197.0) Has anyone else had a similar experience and how much niacin are you guys taking to relieve the symptoms?Also had another thought, is there any female analogue to POIS?

So had one of those "O" things after almost 3 weeks :( and noticed something. I felt crap this morning. Brain not functioning, inability to remember facts etc. Took 100mg of niacin (as I've been doing) and noticed no flush after a few hours. Another 100mg and no flush. Another 50mg 3 hours after that and the flush started. Post flush, I could think more clearly. This suggests that I was undergoing some kind of b3 depletion (and/or related b vitamins as described in the theory at http://www.poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=197.0) Has anyone else had a similar experience and how much niacin are you guys taking to relieve the symptoms?Also had another thought, is there any female analogue to POIS?

I'm taking the Sloniacin, something I found at Walmart, its composed of 500mg niacin and is formulated to reduce flushing. It's definitely a remedy to help relax the brain and improve symptoms. But unfortunately for me it only works for a limited amount of time. Like I can get POIS, than take niacin, feel better, the niacin wears off, than I feel POIS again.

Hi jake, could you please let us know, by using your 'drink water before sleep' method, how long have you managed to prevent a wet dream from happening?

Thanks

Hmm.. well.. I've been drinking a full bottle of water, and I've noticed that perhaps when the body has pressure on the bladder during sleep, it seems to prevent the body from having an O. In this case, during sleep. It worked for a while, until I started going to the bathroom half way through my sleep patterns. It seems that after I do this, I go back to sleep and it happens. Maybe it's linked somehow.

I'm taking the Sloniacin, something I found at Walmart, its composed of 500mg niacin and is formulated to reduce flushing. It's definitely a remedy to help relax the brain and improve symptoms. But unfortunately for me it only works for a limited amount of time. Like I can get POIS, than take niacin, feel better, the niacin wears off, than I feel POIS again.

Right now I have crazy POIS, I O'd 6 times yesterday...

Hmm, having 6 O's in one day might wear anybody out :) Interestingly, since the O, I've only had 1 flush despite doubling my dose. Whereas in my state of O-lessness (over 3 weeks) I was flushing every day after 150mg.

I've updated my post about newbielink:http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=226.0 [nonactive], to reflect my current thinking on what caused my case of POIS and what I did to escape the ejaculation->collapse cycle. Follow the link if you're interested.

I'm also selling quite a lot of newbielink:http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=245.0 [nonactive], which proved quite beneficial to me when I was in the depths of POIS, but which I no longer take, as I am no longer suffering from POIS.

I now believe that my POIS case was caused by acute depression, and that the Fenugreek and Saw Palmetto either helped with the depression or had a placebo effect -- either way, I saw positive effects from taking them, effects which went away if I missed taking them for a day. It's from Vitacost.com and is all unopened and sealed. I wouldn't sell it on to you guys if it hadn't helped me out.

I've updated my post about how I got out of the POIS nightmare, to reflect my current thinking on what caused my case of POIS and what I did to escape the ejaculation->collapse cycle. Follow the link if you're interested.

I now believe that my POIS case was caused by acute depression, and that the Fenugreek and Saw Palmetto either helped with the depression or had a placebo effect -- either way, I saw positive effects from taking them, effects which went away if I missed taking them for a day. It's from Vitacost.com and is all unopened and sealed. I wouldn't sell it on to you guys if it hadn't helped me out.

If you're interested, contact me on the other forum.

I read through your post. To be honest about this, I think you were understandably depressed AND that you had POIS. If POIS is a disease which affects someone as soon as they start having orgasms then you'd probably always remember having POIS but its severity may worsen as you grow older and it takes a greater toll on your nervous system. Indeed it may indicate that the catch all "ADD" describes illnesses that affect catecholamine levels in a similar manner to POIS. People who first start experiencing ADHD during puberty may actually have POIS and this illness may not be as rare as we believe. Some There's been significant discussion on this group positing that catecholamine depletion could be what's effecting our nervous systems. Every treatment that people are reporting has a benefit seems to raise our levels of dopamine and/or norepinephrine. Strattera will absolutely affect your levels of norepinephrine. If this works for you then that's great and we should all consider it.

However, (& I don't intend any offense) ADD is one of the vaguest diagnosis as the disposal of psychiatrists YET the treatment may improve or alleviate POIS symptoms. For example, would you label everybody with "brain fog" as suffering from POIS? I doubt it as it's not yet an approved diagnosis but that's how strattera is being prescribed to kids (mostly young adults) suffering from concentration problems. I'm confident that being prescribed Provigil would improve your focus and concentration issues but that doesn't mean it's a "cure" or that the prescription of it implies any nuanced knowledge of the condition that's causing our neurotransmitter problems. Therefore, I don't think it's fair for you to suggest that people who are experiencing severe negative symptoms post orgasm are simply deluding themselves when the alternative you're suggesting is a diagnosis that basically says "your brain isn't working right".

/bowi stand on the cusp of a societal change, but somehow i remain possible

anyways, 1) what is the name of the show and episode from the Learning Channel about POIS. 2) i have a new theory. after orgasm, our serotonin levels drop dangerously low. and not just in the brain. serotonin affects MANY different biochem functions within the body, as is located ALL throughout the body, like near nerve endings in muscle, where a lack of it can cause serious issues.

I challenge, if anyone has not done so already, to orgasm multiple times. Then have their serotonin levels checked. This is done by some online labs, for a few hundred, and also by hospitals but usually to check for specific ailments.

I am betting that our serotonin levels drop, not just or solely in the brain, but also in other areas of the body. Zoloft annihilates the chemical "depression" caused by low serotonin levels, but does not help against memory/cognitive loss. So maybe not a complete answer, but helpful for people like me who are constantly shrouded in sadness (not like i normally care, its just very distracting) that get severe anxiety after an O and have to deal with people.

Low serotonin elsewhere can mean muscle stiffness/numbness. And also flu like symptoms =)

These statements by you below and your ready acceptance of "diagnosis" by "doctors" who never actually tested your neurochemcial levels by Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, imho, discredit pretty much your entire thesis on a research level. You have a good charisma, but I dont think your science is too sound. Also the "compendium" for POIS is this forum. Your statement

"regular, intense exercise, these sufferers also"

quotes these sites:sites.google.com/site/poiswebsite/test.../exercise-and-enhanced-dietpoiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=111.60poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=226.0

None of which would classify as a compendium. Naked Scientists is THE compendium. One thing on this forum is you have to be careful how you word things. Our research carries a lot of weight if its scientifically sound. If you are truly POIS free, that is is awesome.

---------------------------------------------------------------My experience has caused me to question the idea of POIS as a condition - and to view it more as a set of negative symptoms which predictably and consistently get much worse following sexual activity. (a set of negative symptoms qualifies as a medical condition)

I am completely POIS-free(but then you explain that you are actually not "completely" free. if you have to include an asterisk next to that statement, i wouldnt bother saying it)

3) I've also noticed that sometimes if I feel particularly 'given to' in the sexual process i get NO negative symptoms - I can't explain this one!

hi badger, can you please explain what you mean by #3? I'm not sure what you mean by "given to". Thanks

Hi GoingCrazy

Without going into lots of detail(!) some interchanges with people, sexual or otherwise, can leave me feeling drained, other times they can leave me feeling quite energised. One way of saying this is that its not good to be doing all the work!

The connection with histamine in all this is fascinating i think as i get quite bad tree pollen allergy in the spring and i believe i have had some relief with taking niacin and that hot prickly feeling all over with the pollen allergy has reduced. These hayfeverish symptoms with tree pollen allergy are very similar to POIS symptoms for me except that i dont get sneezing, itchy eyes, stuffed sinus with POIS.

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